


Stop Pretending

by forbiddenquill



Category: Faking It (TV 2014)
Genre: Amy moving on from Karma, COOPERFELD, F/F, a lot of fluff, mentions Karmy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 17:49:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1787725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forbiddenquill/pseuds/forbiddenquill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first is an incident. The second is a coincidence. The third is a pattern. And the fourth is...something else entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stop Pretending

**Author's Note:**

> More Cooperfeld! Don't judge. I think this was based off a theory I read a long time ago. Basically, the reason why Lauren is so mean to Amy is because she's pissed off that they're going to become stepsisters instead of becoming something more.

The first time they kiss, it’s more like an accident than anything else.

It all starts because of a stupid little argument about the dirty blonde hair on Lauren’s hairbrush and the bitch in question is screaming murder and yelling to Amy that she should _never_ touch her things. And Amy is trying so hard to patiently tell her that there was no way in hell that she would ever think of going to her room and using her brush. And her response just seems to upset Lauren more because suddenly she’s talking about her hell hole of a life in Austin and the stupid hippie Hester school that she’s being forced to go and she even goes far enough to start dissing Shane—

And Amy’s had enough.

They’re in her room, yelling and shouting loud enough to get the neighbors to call the police. It’s a good thing that their parents are out for the whole day because what happens next would’ve sent them running away.

Amy steps forward, her green eyes flashing with anger. Lauren is wearing a pink blouse with a blue skirt. It’s the colors that Amy truly hates. They speak of confidence and joy; Amy prefers stepping back and letting other people have fun. And maybe it’s because of the clothes that gives Lauren more color as well. Even as Amy is stepping forward, she notices the way Lauren’s blue eyes are narrowed and the way the light catches the brightness in it. She notices the way her pale pink lips are pulled back to show perfect rows of teeth. She notices the red patches on the other girl’s cheeks and it makes her absolutely furious, that Lauren can still look so _perfectly_ doll-like even when she’s pissed off and angry and screaming. When Amy acts like a mess, she _is_ one.

She doesn’t notice the stack of books in front of her feet until she’s stumbling into them, losing her balance and practically falling into Lauren’s arms. There’s a shriek and then a grunt and suddenly, there’s something soft pressing against her lips and the scent of Lauren’s sickly sweet perfume is overwhelming her nostrils. She hears a gasp coming from Lauren and they are still for a second, their mouths connected and just breathing in each other. Amy is awkwardly maintaining her balance by holding onto a nearby desk. Lauren, however, is pinned to the bedpost behind her, her hands clutching at the railing and her body tense. Her lips are stiff with shock and Amy is sure that hers are probably the same.

Then Lauren is shoving her away and Amy hits her thigh against her study desk, wincing as she hears a loud _thunk_ noise. She rubs her pelvic bone, brushing off the blonde strands from her vision only to see Lauren looking at her, horror and pure revulsion starting to change her features. She is stone still but her eyes are full of panic, almost as if her worst fear has come to life. Amy opens her mouth to say something, _anything_ that will diffuse the tension and the horror at the fact that _she has just fucking kissed her stepsister._

But Lauren gets there first and it’s not even in the strong Lauren Cooper voice, no, it’s in this entirely soft way tear soaked way that makes Amy’s heart clench. She doesn’t say anything about the incident. She just takes a deep breath and says,

“Don’t fucking use my hairbrush again.”

Then she storms off. Amy doesn’t realize she’s shaking until she sees her fingers.

.

The second time they kiss, it’s not planned but there’s a taste of it being intentional.

Amy is heartbroken. There’s this Karma shaped hole in her chest and no matter how many drinks she tries to drown herself with, she can still remember the look on her best friend’s face, the tears in her eyes and the smile on her face when she told Amy that she could never ever lose her. But she did. Amy did lose her and now she can’t stop thinking about it.

So when Lauren finds her sitting in the table with empty champagne bottles everywhere, she doesn’t say anything, just roughly grabs her by the arm and drags her away from the prying eyes of the waiters and the same wrecked Liam Booker who’s just a few feet away. Lauren saw them eyeing each other, after all.

Amy protests, tells her that she just wants to be left alone but Lauren shakes her head.

“Why do you care anyway?” Amy chokes out when they reach the front door. There’s nobody in the house. Farrah and Bruce have already gone to their honeymoon.

Lauren lets out a frustrated groan. She lets go of Amy and whips her head around.

“Because I know how it feels like, okay?” she nearly screams.

Amy is so shocked that she stops titling. Right. She vaguely remembers that Lauren and Tommy have broken up but she’s still pissed off that she’s being wrenched away from the only thing that can actually help her forget about Karma and her stupid heartfelt confession. She wants to say something, she wants to slap her new stepsister but she stops herself. Lauren is still looking at her, blue eyes stormy and lips pulled back in a snarl but somehow, through that angry expression of hers, Amy can still see something gnawing through the other girl’s face.

“Are you okay?” Amy has to ask because it’s gnawing at her as well.

Lauren looks taken aback by the sudden show of compassion.

“I’m fine,” she sneers, turning around and flinging the door open. She doesn’t wait for Amy but she knows that she’ll follow. Amy staggers inside. She feels sick suddenly, as if somebody’s just punched her in the gut. Lauren is in the kitchen, pouring water into a glass. Amy props herself on a chair and puts her face into her hands, massaging her forehead with her fingers.

“I heard everything, you know,” Lauren tells her and sounds as if she doesn’t care less that she eavesdropped on the worst moment of Amy’s life, “I heard the way you said ‘I love you’ and I heard the way she said ‘I love you too’.”

Amy doesn’t say anything, just sniffs. She rubs her eyes, trying to force the tears back in. She hears Lauren stepping towards her and placing the glass on the table. There’s a hushed silence.

“Amy,” Lauren says, voice soft.

 Amy tenses, wondering what the other girl will say to her now, in the moment where she’s so vulnerable and weak. But then she feels Lauren’s fingers on her wrists, soothing them carefully and gently pulling her hands away so that she can see Amy’s face. Amy is on the verge of pulling her hands back and demanding an explanation but she must be drunker than she thought because she does nothing. Lauren tilts her head to the side, frowning at the mascara running down Amy’s cheeks.

“What are you doing?” Amy whispers.

“Something that you’ll hopefully forget tomorrow,” Lauren says and she kisses her. The kiss is soft and chaste and Amy inhales all of her in, smelling her sweet perfume and tasting the cake frosting on her lips. Lauren’s hands are still on her face and she’s caressing her cheeks in this soothing way that makes Amy shiver.

And when they pull apart, Lauren’s eyes are on her, weighing for her reaction.

“I won’t forget,” Amy says and it’s not wishful thinking. No. She _knows_ that she’s going to wake up tomorrow and remember this moment, the moment where Lauren Cooper isn’t the bitch stepsister, the moment where Lauren Cooper is a human being, the moment where Lauren Cooper is looking at her like that, all soft and sweet, almost as if Amy is something fragile, a masterpiece meant only for the eyes.

Lauren nods and then leans back, already pretending that nothing has happened.

.

The third time they kiss, it’s out of pent up frustration.

She and Karma are far from good and Amy’s actually taking the time to hang out with Lauren at school, taking lunch with her, painfully trying to come up with conversation that doesn’t start with home. And Lauren begrudgingly goes along with it, even though Amy is sure that she’s glad she doesn’t have to go with Elizabeth and Leila.

When classes end, Shane approaches her and asks her what the hell happened and what’s wrong with her and all these other bullshit questions that makes the pain resurfaces and makes her head hurt. She doesn’t answer, just storms off so that she can go with Lauren in Bruce’s car. Lauren is surprisingly waiting for her, hands on her waist and wearing her trademark scowl. Amy spots Karma heading her way so she quickens her pace and practically slams the door in. Lauren opens the door again and slides in next to Amy, shooting her stepsister a glare.

Bruce senses the tension and asks Amy, “Why don’t you talk with your girlfriend anymore?”

If Amy had been focusing on Lauren, she would’ve seen the other girl clench her fists. Instead, she looks at her hands, knowing that if she looks out the window, she’ll see Karma looking at her.

“We’ve had a falling out,” she answers.

“That’s too bad,” Bruce says, starting up the car. “I’ve always liked her.”

Lauren gives her father a glare. “Dad! Really?”

Bruce shrugs, giving Amy a wink through the front mirror. Amy actually smiles.

The drive is peaceful. Amy plugs in her earphones and listens to sad sappy music. She closes her eyes and tries to think about school, tries to think about Lauren sitting next to her, tapping her foot against the seat, tries to think about anything else other than Karma but she’s there. Right behind her closed eyelids. It’s as if she’s waiting for her and the memories come and go, bittersweet moment where Karma is just laughing and being Karma, her best friend. She’s not the person she is now.

Her thoughts are shattered when the car suddenly stops. Amy pulls out her earphones just as Bruce leaves the car. In confusion, she looks over at Lauren who shakes her head and says,

“He went to buy something. He’s probably trying to get us to bond and shit.”

Amy sighs and puts her head against the window, unconsciously looking at Laure through one corner of her eye. She finds herself secretly admiring the soft curves of her face and her long eyelashes and her small mouth. It makes Amy think about the kiss last week, during the whole wedding fiasco. She wonders if Lauren remembers as well.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Lauren suddenly snaps, turning around and glaring at Amy.

“Like what?” Amy innocently asks, toying with a strand of hair and smirking.

“Like you’re secretly judging me or something!”

“I’m not,” Amy says defensively. She puts down her earphones and twists around so that she’s facing Lauren whose arms are crossed and who is currently shooting daggers. “Besides, you’re not something I _enjoy_ looking at.”

“Really?” There’s a moment where Lauren actually sounds genuinely hurt but the moment passes. “Maybe you’re just jealous that you don’t have my looks.”

“Me? _Jealous_? Lauren, you’ve been pining me for being the popular one!”

“It’s not fair that people know you for something that you’re really not,” Lauren sneers and Amy is aware that the atmosphere has changed. She can feel the anger and frustration bubbling inside her stomach and she wants to do something to Lauren, make her feel the same anger and frustration inside her veins.

“I’m not faking it!” she says and something flashes in Lauren’s blue eyes. “You know that already! Why do you have to torment me for it?”

Lauren huffs angrily but doesn’t say anything. Amy continues relentlessly,

“And I don’t even _want_ to be popular!”

“Amy, you’re so whipped! Don’t you see that Karma’s just been—”

“Don’t talk about Karma like that; she’s my best friend!”

Lauren growls and everything is a blur after that because suddenly, Lauren is right in front of her, pushing her hands away and grabbing her face. There’s a split second where Amy goes _‘What’_ but then Lauren’s lips are on hers and this kiss is different than the last two because this kiss is hungry and consuming and it makes Amy’s head swim, makes her want to touch Lauren in ways that goes beyond sisterly. She is pinned against the door, kissing Lauren back and smelling that sweet perfume of hers. Lauren inhales sharply as the kiss deepens and her hands are caressing Amy’s cheeks, just like last time. As time passes and they slow down and eventually stop, Amy has to admit that she likes kissing Lauren, likes the way it makes her forget about Karma for a while. Lauren’s breath stirs her hair and when Amy opens her eyes, she sees that Lauren hasn’t budged.

“Does your best friend kiss you like that?”

When Bruce returns with a pack of cigarettes and some beers, he doesn’t see the way Lauren’s hair is messed up and ruffled. He doesn’t see the way Amy’s fingers shake. He doesn’t see the way they look at each other every now and then with Lauren’s gaze being crystal clear and Amy’s confused and muddled. He turns on the car and drives home, not seeing anything at all.

.

The fourth time they kiss, it’s something out of a cheesy chick flick film.

Two weeks have passed since the heated kiss in the car. Amy and Karma have made up but it’s not the same. Amy can’t look at her without remembering the pain and humiliation. They can’t even watch House Hunters without Amy backing a few feet away from her best friend, hoping not to get tempted into kissing her. Karma is hurt but she accepts the change and Amy tucks her hands into her knees and tries to think about anything else. During their movie marathons, she thinks of Lauren instead, thinks of her blonde hair, thinks of her baby blue eyes and her puckered lips. She has to ask herself if she’s gone insane.

It’s a Saturday night when Lauren wanders into her room, wearing her blue pajamas and holding her toothbrush in one hand. Amy is doing homework, her feet up in the air. She looks up when her stepsister lingers in the middle of the room, looking at her with a pinched expression.

“What?” Amy demands, putting down her pen and giving her a glare.

“Trouble in paradise?” Lauren asks sweetly.

Karma has just left and Lauren isn’t stupid enough not to sense the tension in the room. Amy clenches her fist tight and frowns, hating the situation. Lauren’s perfume is doing something to her head. She remembers all the kisses that they’ve had and her mouth is suddenly dry. She sits up, brushing the hair from her eyes and stares at Lauren who stares back, waiting for a response.

“What’s it to you?” Amy finally says.

Lauren scoffs, sounding hurt. “I’m doing my sisterly duty in trying to help you out here.”

“Really, Lauren?” Amy doesn’t know where the anger is coming from but she stands up and crosses the room. She looks up to make sure that the door is closed and then steps forward. Lauren stands her ground but Amy notices the nervous shuffle of her feet. “Because for the past few weeks, all you’ve been doing is just making more confused than ever!”

“Is that so?” Lauren sneers. “A few kisses from me and suddenly you’re a confused little girl who’s in an identity crisis?”

“Hey, I’m not the one kissing you out of nowhere!”

“Hey, I’m not the one in a fake relationship with my best friend,” Lauren snaps back. Her eyes are a steely glare. “And I thought we agreed to forget about—what happened!”

“It’s kind of hard to when you’re storming into my room and staring at me!”

“You can’t blame me for that,” Lauren says in a much quieter voice.

Amy stops. She looks at her stepsister, biting the inside of her cheeks.

“Why did you kiss me?” she finally asks because it’s the question that’s been eating her up in the inside, it’s the question that she asks herself when she can’t sleep and all she can think about is Lauren, it’s the question that she knows doesn’t have a good answer. She shifts her weight and crosses her arms, tries not to let Lauren see the insecurity chewing up in her bones.

Lauren blinks and opens her mouth. But no words come out. Amy stands there, waiting even though the wait is painful and she feels as if she’s going to collapse soon.

And then Lauren surprises her. She lets down all her walls and says, in the smallest voice Amy ever hears,

“What did you expect?” she says and her eyes are getting bright and she’s choking on her words, “I came here to Austin because my dad fell in love with a weather girl. I came here expecting the hippie school and the weirdos in class. I didn’t come here expecting to find a girl waiting to become my new stepsister. I didn’t come here expecting to find out that the girl who’s going to become my new family is actually somebody I really like. I mean, she acts like she doesn’t care. She loves fully and compassionately. Even though her best friend doesn’t see her the way I do, she loves her all the same. What did you expect, Amy? That I was just going to be mean to you all the time? I can’t do that because that’s not me.”

Amy doesn’t know what to say. The silence is deafening. She looks at Lauren, a stranger, a girl forced into her life and it makes her wonder. Surely, there has always been a reason why Lauren hates her with a burning passion? But what if she’s been faking it the same way she has with Karma? She can feel her heart pounding in her chest, a dull ache that she doesn’t know how to soothe. Maybe Lauren found a common ground with her but fell anyway? Fuck. Her eyes hurt so she rubs them.

“Well?” Lauren demands in the same tear soaked tone, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Lauren is obviously trying hard not to cry but Amy says nothing. She is suddenly hit with déjà vu. Lauren is standing in front of her, having confessed everything and she’s looking at Amy, with this hopeful glare in her eyes that makes Amy choke on words that she can’t say. Because fuck it. This is her and Karma all over again but this time, she’s in Karma’s shoes and Lauren is in Amy’s. She has to squash down all these confusing emotions because yes, she did like kissing Lauren, thought it was amazing but she’s still hesitating. Why is she still hesitating?

It hits her. Maybe it’s because she finally knows how Karma feels, finally understands what the other girl felt during that night. And Amy has always thought of herself as somebody who knows Karma inside and out but this emotion that’s overwhelming her now, the guilt that eats her up inside at the thought of what Lauren has gone through makes her sure that Karma didn’t know what to do with herself. But Amy does know something. She's not Karma.

So she steps forward, closes the distance between them both. It’s like the first time. The first time they kissed where Amy stumbled but she isn’t stumbling now. She knows what’s going to happen, what she’s doing and it’s as exciting as free falling with Karma. Lauren inhales sharply but she doesn’t move. And Amy kisses her. It’s something out of a fairy tale where a kiss makes everything better and when Amy exhales, she feels as if she’s breathing okay for the first time in weeks. She puts her fingers on Lauren’s waist, pulls her close. Lauren’s hands are suddenly on her face, caressing her cheeks softly. Damn. This girl has a cheek fetish. It makes Amy laugh and when Lauren pulls away to give her a puzzled look, she shakes her head and says,

“It’s nothing.”

Lauren’s blue eyes trace the curves of her face.

“You won’t forget about this?” she asks.

“Don’t worry,” Amy says, leaning forward to peck her lips again. “I won’t forget.” She hums for a while, feeling contented. “Just don’t pretend this didn’t happen.”

Lauren sighs. “I’m not pretending.”

Amy kisses her again and for once, she doesn’t think about Karma. 


End file.
